Will contest Bihar polls if it improves party’s performance: Chirag Paswan

LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan. File | Photo Credit: PTI

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) supremo Chirag Paswan on Monday (June 2, 2025) said that he would contest the Bihar Assembly election if it strengthened his party and improved its performance in the election due later this year.

Speaking to journalists at Raipur, where he had come to attend an event, Mr Paswan played down suggestions of him emerging as the face of the National Democratic Alliance in the election. He saying there was no vacancy and incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would continue to lead after the election.

“So if contesting elections will benefit my party, as in my strike rate gets better… in the Lok Sabha [polls, in 2024], we had a 100 % strike rate and I would want that in the Assembly election too, my strike rate improves in the number of seats I contest. So if my strike rate and the performance of my alliance improves, which is also in discussions, then I will definitely contest,” he said.

Earlier, he said when national-level leaders contested State elections, it helped the parties. Citing the example of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said that the BJP had experimented with this on several occasions, and benefited when they fielded their MPs in (State) elections.

The remarks come a day after Mr. Paswan’s party colleague and Jamui MP Arun Bharti shared a post on X saying party workers wanted Mr Paswan to contest from a general seat to send out the message that he was now ready to lead not just one section of the people but the whole of Bihar.

Mr Paswan further said that he didn’t see himself in the politics of the Centre for long. “The reason for my entry into politics is Bihar and Biharis. I have my own vision - Bihar First, Bihari First,” he said.

Asked about the chief ministerial face of the NDA for the Assembly election, he said, “There is no vacancy for the post of Bihar CM. Nitish Kumar will be on the post after the polls.”

Published - June 02, 2025 08:21 pm IST